The present invention relates in general to a word information storage and retrieval apparatus and, more particularly, to an electronic dictionary and language interpreter with faculties for writing and erasing new words in addition to many words inherently stored therein.
Recently, a new type of electronic device called an electronic dictionary and language interpreter has been available on the market. The electronic dictionary and language interpreter differs from conventional types of electronic devices in that the former is of a unique structure which provides for efficient and rapid retrieval of word information stored in a memory. An example of such an electronic dictionary and language interpreter was disclosed in Levy, U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,236, June 12, 1979, "ELECTRONIC DICTIONARY AND LANGUAGE INTERPRETER".
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,236, a plug-in read-only memory (ROM) may be indeed an effective means for increasing the capacity of words of the electronic dictionary and language interpreter as far as the plug-in read-only memory (ROM) is selectively and removably connected to a main part of the device.
However, this leads to the necessity of a great number of the plug-in ROMs in order to make a great number of the words available.